Gorillas are the largest primates in the world and they eat almost an entirely planted-based diet, though they may at times also eat termites, ants or worms. Fruits, leaves, shoots, seeds, flowers are the great majority of what they eat, and they can consume up to forty to fifty pounds a day. Adult males are massive, weighing 350-450 pounds and have tremendous physical strength. Females typically weigh 150-250 pounds. In the wild gorillas can live thirty to forty years, and in captivity about ten years longer. Tragically, gorilla meat is considered a delicacy by some humans and it is served in some restaurants.

Hippos spend most of their days in water, but come out at night to graze on grasses. They can eat 80 – 150 pounds of grass in a day, according to the Honolulu Zoo. Though in water they appear docile and mostly move very slowly, on land they can outrun a human in a short sprint. Males can weigh up to 9,000 pounds.

Giraffes don’t consume nearly as much as grass as hippos or horses. The prefer leaves and buds on trees and shrubs, flowers and fruit and vines. Specifically, Acacia leaves and shoots are a big part of their diet. They also adapt their diets to the regions they forage within, and by what is available seasonally. About three-quarters of a giraffe’s day is spend foraging and feeding during the dry season. Sometimes they feed on moonlight nights.† Acacia seeds are dispersed by giraffes in unshaded areas, which helps grow more plants.

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85 comments

So what? Many animals eat meat. They hunt their prey just as some humans do. Humans hunt deer, geese and other animals to eat. It has been this way since the beginning of time!! Nothing wrong with this. It's called keeping a balance of all species. Otherwise they would be overpopulated, not enough food to feed them all, and the world would be overun with them, just as it is now with too many people living on the earth. Maybe people should be limited to two children per couple. If they have more they should have to pay a large fine or get "fixed". The world cannot sustain everyone at the rate people are multiplying!!!